11th International Workshop on Anthocyanins and Betalains

CONFERENCE DETAILS

The 11th International Workshop on Anthocyanins and Betalains (IWA&B 2024) will be held at the University of Leeds from Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th September 2024. This will be the first time the conference has been held in the United Kingdom and presents a unique opportunity to meet and discuss with colleagues from all over the world, get updated on the newest developments and insights in the colourful world of anthocyanins and betalains.
 
Full details are available on the conference website where you can find more details about the conference, the programme topics, registration, social activities, abstract submission, keynote speakers and more, including details about accommodation, the University of Leeds, the city and the surrounding area.
 

REGISTRATION 

Early-bird registration for regular delegates and students is now open via the conference website. Registration fees include access to all conference sessions, all conference activities at The University of Leeds, lunches and refreshments across the three days. Optional additional activities include the conference dinner on the evening of Wednesday 18th September, and a wine and cultural tour in the Yorkshire countryside on Friday 20th September. More details on the conference website.
 

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

The call for abstracts for both oral presentations and posters is now OPEN, with a deadline of Friday 24th May 2024. The programme will cover the subject of anthocyanins and betalains in the following areas:
- BIOSYNTHESIS and GENETICS
- ECOLOGY, FUNCTION and EVOLUTION
- HEALTH and NUTRITION
- PHYTOCHEMISTRY and ANALYSIS
- APPLICATION in FOOD and INDUSTRY
 
You can submit your abstract via the conference website.
 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

We are delighted to have an incredible list of speakers from the world of anthocyanins, betalains and the intersection between the two:

• Professor Victor de Freitas, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Porto, Portugal
  “Anthocyanin pigments: inspiration from nature’s chemistry lab”
• Dr. Anna-Katharine Mansfield, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, USA
  “A Wine of a Different Color: Sensory Effects and Consumer Perception of Non-traditional Grape Wines”
• Professor Samuel Brockington, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK
  “A tale of two pigments: the evolution of betalains and their mutual exclusion with anthocyanins”
• Dr Stefan Martens, Research and Innovation Center, Area Food and Nutrition, Edmund Mach Foundation, Italy
  “Anthocyanidin synthase – a critical and promiscuous step in pigment biosynthesis”
• Professor Yuanwen Teng, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, China
  “Research progress on the regulation mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis in pear fruit”
• Dr Christine Bösch, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, UK
• “Contribution of betalain pigments to health and gut health – evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies”
• Dr Iva Fernandes, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Porto, Portugal
  “Charting New Frontiers for skin Healthcare – Unveiling the Colour and Bioactivity of Anthocyanin and related Structures” 
• Dr Carine Mané, Innovation Department, New Products team, Oterra, France
  "Exploring vibrant world of Regulatory for Anthocyanins and Betalains"

More details about these speakers and their biographies are available from the conference website.
 

SPONSORSHIP AND EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES

Sponsorship opportunities are available now by contacting IWA&B 2024 Conference Chair Professor Richard Blackburn directly (r.s.blackburn@leeds.ac.uk) with more details and an application form on the conference website.
 

MORE CONFERENCE INFO

Anthocyanins are well known for their great diversity of colours, spanning practically the whole visible spectrum, from orange and red through to purple and blue hues. Due to their wide distribution in nature and structural diversity they have hit headlines and are linked to a range of health benefits and diverse functions in plants. Over the years, the scientific community has been focusing on these amazing molecules trying to understand their biosynthesis, properties, bioactivities and biological relevance, and possible applications. Given their relative abundance in the diet and their chemical and biological versatility, they represent a rich source of health promoting properties and only now are we truly beginning to understand how their absorption might relate to bioactivity. Similarly, novel anthocyanin-enriching techniques are opening new opportunities for several applications in various industry sectors for manufacturing food and non-food products including their potential use as food additives, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
 
Since the year 2000, the International Workshop on Anthocyanins (IWA) has been the major bi-annual focus for cutting edge anthocyanin research dissemination and organised in collaboration with Groupe Polyphenols (https://www.groupepolyphenols.com/). Following on from the successful introduction of betalains at IWA2019 conference, they are fully included in IWA&B 2024. Betalains are a class of red and yellow pigments found in specific plants where they replace anthocyanins. The particular shades of red to purple are distinctive and unlike that of anthocyanin pigments. Betalains include reddish to violet betacyanins and yellow to orange betaxanthins.

We look forward to welcoming you to The University of Leeds in September 2024.
 
Best wishes,
 
Professor Richard Blackburn
Chair of the Organising Committee and Groupe Polyphenols Board Member
University of Leeds
United Kingdom
r.s.blackburn@leeds.ac.uk

University of Leeds

University of Leeds, Esther Simpson Building, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom